On Thursday evening, the Boston College women’s lacrosse team played against Michigan at Alumni Stadium in the 2024 NCAA quarterfinals. The Eagles comfortably handled the Wolverines, winning the game, 14-9, to advance to the program’s seventh-straight Final Four under head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein.
BC got the ball rolling early in this one, despite Michigan being a formidable and unfamiliar opponent. The Eagles defense played with some serious grit, forcing three Michigan turnovers in just the first quarter and making two saves. Their performance allowed BC to take control of the game early, establishing a 6-2 lead that quickly expanded to 11-4 by the end of the first half. Rachel Clark had earned herself a hat trick by halftime and the multi-headed Boston College offense pressured the Wolverines constantly. They came out of the gates with one of the best performances we’ve seen from them all postseason.
Things did start to shift as the second half got started, though. Michigan won 5 of 6 draw controls in the third quarter and Boston College turned over the few possessions they did manage to get, allowing the Wolverines to cut the lead to 12-7. Shea Dolce made some great saves as the game progressed but she could only do so much as Michigan started crawling back. Though with a last minute 3rd quarter score, like the Eagles always seem to do, they brought it back to 13-7 and gave BC some momentum.
To close out the game, it was all about defense. BC won all four draw controls of the fourth quarter, but plenty of turnovers on both sides made sure that each team had a chance at possession. Shots were firing left and right with plenty of fouls happening all over the field, but both goalies stood strong and very few shots managed to find their way to the back of the net. With Michigan only managing to score one goal until the final minute of the contest, they didn’t have nearly enough juice left to overcome their deficit and BC won the game by a 14-9 score.
Rachel Clark, Kayla Martello, and the BC offense were the early heroes in this one and it was their scoring that helped give BC such a wide margin that they held onto for most of the game. But some big saves by Shea Dolce and forced turnovers by the BC defense was the force that really secured the win in the end.
And now the Boston College Eagles are onto the final four as a result! They’ll face Syracuse for the third time this season in the national semifinal, the same team that they beat in last year’s Final Four match, on Friday May 24th in Cary, North Carolina. Be sure to check back with BC Interruption as we give you a full preview of what’s to come!